Locals gather at the site of the suicide bombing in the city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. Photo: AFP

Suicide bomber kills 23 in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - A Taliban suicide bomber struck a Shiite Muslim procession near Pakistan's capital, killing 23 people in the latest of a series of bombings targeting Shiites during the holiest month of the year for the sect. The bomber attacked the procession around midnight on Wednesday in the city of Rawalpindi, located next to the capital, Islamabad, where Muslim leaders from eight nations gathered for a rare summit. Police tried to stop and search the bomber as he attempted to join the procession, but he ran past them and detonated his explosives. AP

Bus drivers call off strike in South Korea

SEOUL - Bus drivers in South Korea called off a threatened national strike, staging only a brief walkout to avoid stranding millions of commuters. Services around the country returned to normal after a two-hour walkout that began at 4.30am. The union threatened an indefinite strike to protest a parliamentary bill that would recognise taxis as public transport. AFP

Taliban threatens India over body of bomber

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - The Taliban threatened revenge unless India returns the body of a Pakistani man executed for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan demanded that Mohammed Ajmal Kasab's body be given back to his family or handed over to the Taliban. AP

Miners feared dead after explosion

MANILA - At least three people are trapped and believed dead after an explosion ripped through an illegal coastal gold mine in the Philippines. Dynamite used to extract ore damaged a mine shaft in the town of Paracale on Tuesday causing seawater to pour into the pit. Investigators said at least three miners were trapped in the underground tunnels in the town, which lies 190 kilometres east of the capital Manila. AFP

North Korea threatens to attack island again

YEONPYEONG, South Korea - North Korea has threatened to repeat its 2010 artillery attack on Yeonpyeong island, as South Korea prepares to mark the second anniversary of the shelling that left four dead with memorial activities on the border island. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted a military spokesman who warned of another attack on the island. AFP

Busy weekend for anti-whaling protesters

TOKYO - Anti-whaling activists said demonstrations would be staged in Tokyo and eight other cities around the world this weekend to protest against Japan's annual hunt. Protesters are expected to gather in the capital Tokyo to call for an end to the state-sponsored whaling mission - which Japanese scientists say is for research purposes - to the Southern Ocean, due to start in the next few weeks. Rallies are planned on the same day in Canberra, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Sao Paulo, Vancouver, and a city in Texas. AFP